This is Produced By, and I'm your host, Kevin Fairchild. Today, I'm very happy to have in studio Madeline Hammond, who is the program director for the upcoming Produced By conference in Los Angeles. Madeline, welcome. Thank you.
It's great to be here. So we're just about a month out from the conference, right? How are things going? How's it shaping up?
Oh, my gosh. I think this is going to be one of the best conferences that we've had in a long, long time. Not just because of the quality of the speakers and the panels, the workshops, but, Kevin, all I can tell you is this year we were just incredibly blessed, and we had some of the best conversations. We have names like Oprah Winfrey and David DuVernay, who are doing a session, Jordan Peele, who's coming off a huge success of Get Out.
We have Ted Sarandos, who heads up Netflix, that is going to be talking to all the producers in the audience about the importance of content and new distribution modes and so forth. It's just the topics, the speakers, the issues that we're covering are incredible. Just very lucky to be the programmer. Yeah, and it's very inclusive in terms of film, television, new media, kind of bringing everyone together to have a conversation about really just producing content.
Right. And it's more than just producing content. It's also how to finance, how to distribute your content, how to market your content. And we have a session this year that is about, it's called Meet the Buyers, and it's people from the digital realm that are going to be there, Hulu and Amazon and A Woman from Gunpowder and Sky.
So it really gives the people in the audience a chance to say, well, here, I've got this project or projects, if this is often the case, and what can I do? It's no more just space. It's not a one-size-fits-all. This year, you guys are back on the 20th Century Fox Studios lot.
That's got to be a lot of fun. I remember the one year that I got to go to the conference there, we're strolling and seeing those giant murals on all the studio buildings. That was kind of special. Yeah, when you drive down on the Fox lot and they have that big sound of music, it's one of the most beautiful lots.
And I love going back there because in terms of doing the conference there, the streets are all close together, and it's a real kind of intimate feeling and a feeling of real community that the producers have when they go there. You know, since we first started this, we've always been on the studio a lot, and even though it's more expensive than doing it as a big hotel or something like that, I think it brings people back to the core of what we're about, which is about film and television. And to me, there's nothing more special than being on a lot on a weekend. I feel like we own the whole thing.
It's super nice. Now, of course, it's not just panels. There are receptions and networking opportunities and all of that. Are we back on New York Street this year?
Yeah, we're back on New York Street for a big party, which will be great. But it's a good point that you bring up about networking. It's not just going to sessions and then going to your next session. It's talking to the person to the right and the left of you and comparing notes.
And we even have a session this year about pitching, pitching your project, your film or television project. And we have a great group of people who are judges, if you will, and they give amazing feedback. And it doesn't matter if the pitches are good or not good, because the feedback is what's really important. And the people in the audience that get as much out of it as the people that are pitching or hearing the pitches.
So there's a lot of interactivity. It isn't just about you don't feel alone when you go there. I think it reinforces what I was saying before, which is about that we really are a community and kind of a tight-knit community at that. Yeah, absolutely.
And another really great way to engage, actually, almost one-on-one, with people who are sort of mentors in the communities, of course, the mentoring roundtables, where attendees can pay a little bit of an extra fee and sit at the table with some really amazing people and learn directly from them. It's true. I love booking the mentor roundtables, because when you hear a session and you get excited, you see one on finance or pitching or independent film or something on digital, but now you've got a chance to have someone on one time. And that hour with these producers is critical, even though you may not be pitching a particular project, asking them about maybe stumbles or successes you've had in your career or questions that you kind of like, who else can you talk to about this stuff except another more experienced producer?
So the group we have this year, including, of course, Gary and Lori, and we have Hal Sadoff, who works for Joel Silver's company, and we have a pair this year. We've got Misha Green and Joe Bukowski from Underground, and they're going to be co-teaming one of the mentor roundtables, and we're super excited about that, not only because Underground's been a huge success, but because these guys, just like the other mentors, they know what it's like. It hasn't been that long since they've been there, too, and so I think that their perspectives and analysis will be very refreshing and inspiring. Yeah, it's about Kevin Spacey sending the elevator back down.
Right, that's right, right. Kind of bringing up that next generation of producers. Totally right. And speaking of that, I mean, who are the people who come to this?
I mean, is it all established and emerging producers, some people just trying to find a way through the industry, the mix? Well, it's a good question. I'd say it's mixed. I'd say you have some new producers, but you've also got more established ones.
The way I describe it when I'm pitching a speaker to be at the Produced By conference is it's a group of industry-working people. These are people that have maybe two, three, four projects that are trying in various phases of development, plus you have a whole bunch of industry executives wanting to learn more about producing because they're the directors or writers or on the other part of the creative side of it, and then you have people that are just fans of film, not fans of talent, but just the process and how it all happens. I think what makes Produced By different than any other conference is that it's a real inside look. This is inside baseball, and we don't shy away from that.
These are for the people that are serious about their craft, and they want to get better at it. These are people that have a new project, and they want to figure out how to do it because there's a lot of opportunity, but if you aren't on the inside and you don't feel like you're connected to it, it's very difficult sometimes. So the short answer is it's all of what you said. We get new, old, and everything in between.
That's one of the things I really love about walking around the conference, both in LA and New York, because of course we have ours in the fall and October, and you just hear these really amazing conversations about people who are connecting and talking about the work that they do and learning. So traditional media people are talking to the digital, emerging media people and finding those common grounds and finding ways that they can work together. It's kind of amazing. Yeah, you know, it's a very good point.
The lines are all blurred now. You know, I remember just a few years ago when I first started programming this, we had a film track, and then we had a television track, and then we had the new media track, and now we always make sure we have the same number of panels. And now it's all very, it's like just one big world, if you will. Film people go to the TV panels, TV people go to the film panels.
I always intersperse, if I can, the technology people into all my panels. And so it's funny, these lines of demarcation are a bit anachronistic, and I think that's good. And just one more thing to add to both the Produced by Conference in New York as well as the one in LA is it's the only conferences that are producers talking to other producers about producing. And that, to me, is what makes it really exciting.
There's tons of other conferences out there that cover a myriad of topics, but when it really comes down to drilling into how to get that project off the ground, I mean, maybe I'm biased, probably, but to me there's just no better way, and I'm proud that we have good speakers that are good at what they do to talk about it. Speaking to that, that's sort of the greatest, I think, mission of the Guild is sort of bringing together those people in really talking about the idea of not quite platform agnostic producing, but really sort of finding the right platform for a story, and maybe something is a digital series, maybe something is a feature film, maybe it's long-form television, because all those avenues are sort of open to storytellers, right? Right, it's true. Like, we have a new session this year.
We haven't done this before. It's about limited series, because that's the big thing now with Making a Murderer. So we have the two women that co-created an EP, Making a Murderer. We have the guys from Five Came Back, the Khalif Broder story, which is incredible, and we gave it a classroom there from Weinstein talking about that.
So I think what I try to do, and I think what the mission of the whole committee, because it isn't just me, we have a great committee of Marshall Hertzkiewicz and Tracy Edmonds and Rachel Klein and Ian Bryce. And these guys meet with us and give so much great advice about here's what you should go after, here's some topics to consider, and when I present it to them, the idea of doing limited series and docs on television, because you can tell if you read everything that's going on, this is a new vein, if you will, and so we're happy to have something on that. And now, on Sunday, typically, I mean, the conference is two days long, and usually you have a day full of sessions on Saturday, and then on Sunday, sort of the same kind of thing. This year, you guys are trying something totally new.
We are. We are so excited about this. It's a producer's mashup, and where Sunday afternoon, we used to have actually two or three tracks of additional panels, if you will. We've now decided after lunch, we're going to try something new, make it even more interactive, and I guess it's like speed dating, if you will, but kind of even more advanced than that.
What happens is we have tables set up. You have 15 minutes, so the people move around. The producers say, but the actual speakers move around, and we're going to be covering film, scripted, unscripted, and digital, and it's going to be like a couple hours, so you'll actually have a chance to meet with close-up and personal with a number of experienced producers talking about various parts of the business, and I think that that, plus the mental roundtables, plus the networking, plus the panels, plus the conversations, and the workshops, I mean, that's a packed weekend. I can't imagine anybody coming away from that and feeling like they didn't get just more than they could ever imagine in terms of information.
I mean, that sounds like a really great weekend to spend on a lot talking about and learning from professionals and sharing your stories. What do you think is the one thing that an attendee cannot miss? Oh, God, that is a great question. What's the one thing they can't miss?
Well, I could say, don't miss the entire weekend. That's easy. But I think my answer to that would be, it's so personal, you know? The one thing that I try to do is have something for everybody.
I know that sounds crazy and maybe a bit cliche, but honestly, if you're, like, let's break it down like this. If you have an independent film, there's a finance panel and a film on independent film distribution that's great. And then you can be inspired by quite amazing, Damien Giselle, who just came off the huge success of La La Land, and he's being interviewed by, to me, one of the most incredible people, and that's John Wells, who in and of himself is such a prolific producer, and so the two of them together is going to be phenomenal. So in addition, we also have a number of amazing workshops where we cover profit participation and how to ensure the perfect cast and something on virtual reality and something on animation also this year.
So even if you're interested in more of the technical side, there's even a track for you. But I think in answer to your question, it is so individual. I think there's something for everybody, but, I mean, some people would, I guess, answer that, like you can't miss Oprah. Because Oprah and Ava together, that's going to be just incredible.
But I guess it's one of those where I love all my kids, so I can't really say who I would go to because I happen to think that all the sessions are great. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. We're looking forward to seeing you. I will be at the conference interviewing guests and hopefully doing one or two podcast episodes out of there.
So I will see you on the box lot. Kevin, thanks for having me. Thanks so much. You got it.
I'll see you soon. See you soon. So if you're interested in attending, and I recommend you do the Produce by Conference in Los Angeles, the dates are June 10th and 11th, and you can register now at producebyconference.com. Thank you for listening to this episode of Produce by.
Don't miss our next episode. We're my guests will be William Horberg, Eric Isralian, Joe Berlinger, and Carla Garapidian, as they discuss the unique relationship between the films that promised and Intent to Destroy. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Producers Guild at www.producersguild.org. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at Producers Guild.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to subscribe to this and our sister show, The Art and Business of Producing, wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, I'm Kevin Fairchild, and this is Produce by.